Transportable fire-escape with removable stretcher.



NO. 825,946. YATENTBD JULY 17, 1906'. J. A. VAN EESBEEGK. TRANSPORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE WITH REMOVABLE STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31, 1905.

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No. 825,946. PATBNTED JULY 17, 1906. J. A. VAN EESBEEGK.

TR A'NSPORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE WITH REMOVABLE STRETGHER APPLIOATIOH nun we. a1, 1905.

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JEAN ARTHUR VAN EESBEECK, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

TRANSPORTABLE FIRE-ESCAPE WITH REMOVABLE STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

- Application filed August 31,1905. Serial No. 276,520-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEAN ARTHUR VAN EEsBEEoK, engineer, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing at No. 25 Rue de la Putterie, Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Transportable Fire-Escapes with Removable Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

TO exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to fire-escapes such as are employed at fires when the natural exits of the burning building are impassable and the persons thus entrapped must save themselves by leaping from the windows.

The object of my invention is to arrange a rebminding-platform and a stretcher upon a carriage in such a manner that when the fireescape is wheeled to a fire the handles of the stretcher can serve as carriage-shafts, whereas after unfolding the rebounding-platform the stretcher can be removed from the care riage and may be employed for the transport of wounded persons from the fire to the nearest ambulance or dressing-station.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 0 a front view of the fire-escape when folded up. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of one end of the carriage. Fig. 3 is a front view of a part of the fire-escape, showing one of the stays and parts of the recoil-sheets in working position. Fig: 4 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

To each of the four corners of the carriageframe 1 is hinged a stay 2, of which each is provided with a pawl 3, bearing against a shoulder 4 of the carriage-frame when the stay is taking up its working position. The free ends of the stays 2 are forming-forks 5, wherein two-armed levers 6 are fulcrumed, to which the recoil-sheets 8 and 9, forming the rebounding-platform, are secured by means of the draw-springs 7. As will be seen from the drawings, the arms of the levers 6 are of unequal lengths and the upper arms are preferably made twice as long as the lower arms.

When all the stays are thrown outward and the pawls 3 are bearing against the shoulders 4, the recoil-sheets are stretched, and at the moment the person leaping from a window of the burning building is landing 5 5 upon-the top sheet 8 the latter exerts a pull.

upon all the upper arms of the levers 6 and tries to draw the lower sheet 9 simultaneously tauter still, so that the impact caused by the weight of the person landing on the upper recoil-sheet will be neutralized in the most favorable manner.

To counteract the impact transmitted to the carriage-frame by way of the stays 2, adjustable supports 11 are arranged at the four corners of the carriage-frame, between which and the connecting-plate 11 of the said supports springs 10 are interposed. In this manner it-is made possible not only to counteract the impact but also to adjust the whole fire-escape to any uneven ground. To pro tect the stays against undue lateral strain, they are laterally braced by the braces 2, likewise hinged to the carriage-frame, to swing in unison with said stays.

The stretcher 12, preferably made of tubing, is provided with casters and is supported by channel irons or tracks 13, placed on top of the carriageframe. VVhen the fire-escape is out of use, the stretcher is held in place 011 said tracks by connecting it with the hooks 14, loosely arranged upon the stays 2.

When the platform has to be folded up, the pawls 3 are raised and the stays 2 connected in pairs by means of the hooks 15, as plainly shown in Fig. 1.

1. A fire-escape comprising a carriage, stays attached to said carriage, double-armed levers fulcrumed on the free ends of said stays, and a rebounding-platform connected with the ends of said double-armed levers.

2. A fire-escape comprising a carriage, stays movably attached to said carriage, double-armed levers fulcrumed on'the free ends of said stays, draw-springs attached to the ends of said doublearmed levers, and

a rebounding-platform consisting of two re tached to the longer arms of said levers, and a lower recoil-sheet with the draw-springs at tached to the shorter arms of said levers.

4. A fire-escape comprising a carriage, adjustable supports yieldingly attached to the frame of said carriage, laterally-braced stays hinged to said carriage and provided with each of said stays for holding said stretcher forked ends, a pawl attached to each stay for looking it in its working position, doublearmed levers with unequal arms fulcrumed in the forked ends of said stays, draw-springs attached to the ends of said double-armed levers, and a rebounding-platform consisting of an'upper and a lower recoil-sheet, of which the upper recoil-sheet is connected with the draw-springs attached to the longer leverarms and the lower coil sheet with the shorter lever-arms.

5. The combination with a stretcher of a fire-escape comprising in combination a carriage, tracks thereon tor the reception of said stretcher, adjustable supports yieldingly attached to said carriage, stays hinged to said carriage and braced to the latter to permit 'in place, a pawl on each of said stays for lock- 1 ing the latter in their working position, un-

equal-armed levers fulcrumed on the ends of said stays, draw-springs attached to the ends of said levers, and a rebounding-platform consisting of an upper and a lower recoilsheet, of which the upper recoil-sheet is connected withthedraw-springs attached to the longer lever-arms and the lower coil-sheet with the shorter lever-arms.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JEAN ARTHUR VAN EESBEECK.

Witnesses FERDINAND GRASSET, GREGORY PHELAN l swinging motion of said stays, a hook on 20 

